WILLIAMSPORT - A Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board examiner has found a Williamsport police lieutenant was transferred in retaliation for his union activity.

John Pozniak ruled the city committed an unfair labor practice when on Dec. 27, 2017, it reassigned the president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 29 and stripped him of his supervisory authority.

The examiner ordered the immediate rescission of the transfer of Lt. Steven Helm from patrol lieutenant to support services lieutenant.

He also ordered the city to stop discriminating by encouraging or discouraging membership in any labor union.

The order, which must be posted for bargaining unit employees to read, underlines some of the issues the FOP has with the administration, Helm said Friday.

Police Chief David Young said he could not comment because he was out of the city Friday and had not seen the order.

Capt. Jody Miller who conducted Helm's annual employee evaluation, rated the officer satisfactory overall but commented "he borders on needing improvement based upon his allegiance to the union," the PLRB document states.

It also cites Miller saying communications between the two were tenuous at times and that issues were not brought to his attention quickly because Helm wanted to discuss them in a FOP capacity rather than through the chain of command.

Young last Dec. 27 by email notified Helm, a police officer for nearly 25 years, he was being transferred to support services lieutenant with duties that included daily vehicle maintenance, bidding, review procurement of supplies, abandoned vehicles and the ballistic vest program.

A new organizational chart attached to the email indicated Helm no longer had supervisory authority over patrol sergeants, corporals and patrol officers.

It also showed the department's other lieutenant who was transferred to special services retained supervision over detectives and property and evidence officers.

Capt. Donald Mayes is alleged to have told Helm when he questioned him about the changes that "you're just a warehouse manager."

The city was unlawfully motivated when it gave Helm his 2017 employee evaluation and reassigned him, Pozniak concluded.

Helm's evaluation was replete with critical references to his FOP activity and his allegiance to the union, he wrote. Further, the city's proffered reasons for the reassignment lacked credibility, he said.

Citing Miller's testimony at hearing on the FOP's complaint, Pozniak concluded the city used the purported reorganization of the department to mask its true unlawful intentions and retaliated against Helm by reassigning him.

"There is little doubt" the city violated the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act by criticizing Helm's FOP activities and his allegiance to the union in his employee evaluation, he wrote.

The city must furnish the PLRB within 20 days evidence of compliance with the order. Barring an exceptions it then becomes final.